


Abandoned

by Shinnichi666



Category: SLBP - Fandom
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2020-03-26 14:10:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19007392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shinnichi666/pseuds/Shinnichi666
Summary: Masamune stumbles upon an infant and decides to give her a home.





	1. Chapter 1

Abandoned pt.1  
Masamune   
I was on my way back from the village, taking a longer route through the barely-budding cherry trees, when I heard a baby crying. I heard nothing that indicated a parent trying to calm it down, so I went to check it out. That’s when I saw her. Well, first, I saw two large wolves curled up around her, trying to keep her warm and licking her to calm her down. One of the wolves saw me and whimpered, as though asking for help. I approached the wolves cautiously and gasped when I saw the small child. She’s so tiny, it’s difficult to guess her age but, based on the couple tiny teeth I can see, she’s probably about 4-6 months old. She’s obviously foreign because her eyes are practically golden and diamond-shaped, as opposed to the almond shape typical of Japanese people. There’s also the two small, matching, hammer-shaped amulets around her neck. The flat pieces are made of a shiny black metal and have a beautiful, intricate design carved into each face. I looked around to see if I could find her parents but all I found was a woman several paces away, blue and gray with decomposition. You’re all alone, aren’t you?   
I picked her up and wrapped her in my cloak, then mounted my horse and got back on my way, naming her Toki no Kami.   
When I got back to Yonezawa, I summoned Kita to my chambers. She came in with Kojuro and both gasped when they saw me holding the baby. I explained the situation and Kita placed her hand over her heart as she smiled at me, “That is so heartwarming.” I sighed and told her I’d need I would need someone to show me how to take care of a baby. She nodded eagerly and held out her arms, “I can take care of all of that.” I raised my eyebrows, “To be clear, she is my daughter and I have no intention of just handing her off to a wet nurse to raise her, as my mother did.” She nodded, “I understand, Milord.” I handed Toki to her as Shigezane strolled into my chambers and stopped short. I handed him one of her amulets and told him to bring me any book he could find with that symbol in it. He looked at the piece of shiny black metal and ran a finger over the intricately designed faces of the flat hammer, muttering, “Beautiful work. I wonder what it’s supposed to mean.” He bowed and left the room. Kita knelt down beside me as he said, “Masamune, Kami is teething and she will need something firm on which to gnaw.” I searched for something to give Kami and found a piece of rope about the length of her forearm, “Is this okay for now?” Kita took the rope of woven silk from me and inspected it. She squeezed it, tugged it, dug her nails into it and tried to wad it up, finally nodding as she handed me the rope, “This should do quite well.” I held the rope in front of Kami and the baby took it in her hands, then put it into her mouth and proceeded to vigorously gnaw on it. Kita giggled, “She’s just like you, Masamune! You were a vicious teether, too!” She poked my cheek as she laughed at me, “Look at my little Lord! Seventeen and still blushing like a small boy!” Her teasing made my cheeks flush even more. I never could stand up to her teasing. I glanced at Kojuro and saw that he was also snickering. I glared at him until Kita slapped the back of my head, snapping, “Pay attention! She needs a bath.” She walked me through the steps to bathing a baby girl, then showed me how to tie her diaper and swaddle her.   
By the time she was finished with her lessons, dinner was ready. I took her with me to the Main Hall and sighed as everyone openly stared at me. When I stepped up into the dais, I turned and addressed them, “This is my daughter, Toki no Kami. She is of foreign descent, but she’s to be treated like my biological child. Is that clear?” They all bowed, “Yes, Lord Masamune!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toki is a very precocious toddler, but also very honest and honorable.

Abandoned pt.2  
Masamune   
Toki is about three and a half years old now and has already started getting into all sorts of mischief. She’s decided that climbing trees and playing in the dirt (or mud) are her favorite things to do, so I’ve given up on dressing her in silk dresses and other fineries because she always finds a way to destroy them. She actually cut several of them to the middle of her thighs. When I asked her why she did that, she said that the skirts get in the way and she can’t lift her legs to climb properly. After she ruined the fifth kimono, I gave up and started having the castle tailor make hakama for her instead. She seems to have taken her new wardrobe as my encouraging the behavior. Now she climbs everything and we can’t take our eyes off of her for even a second. Even Genya can’t keep track of her, and he’s a ninja! Given all of this, it should come as no surprise that she just broke her leg and dislocated her shoulder.   
We were visiting Tokugawa Ieyasu of Mikawa and I asked him if there was someone who could watch her while we discussed our next war. He called over a maid well past child bearing age and Shigezane laughed out loud while Kojuro looked uncomfortable. Ieyasu asked what was wrong and I scratched the back of my head as I explained, “Toki is quiet, fast, and curious about everything. I’m not sure someone as old as your maid here will be able to keep up with her. My ninja has trouble keeping track of her!” He looked at the girl holding my hand as she sucked her index finger and looked around the room (probably looking for stuff to climb), then sighed, “Hanzo.” Three ninja melted down from the ceiling and knelt down in front of him, simultaneously asking what they could do for him. Toki watched them with fascination as Ieyasu assigned the two younger ones to take care of her. The twin boys acknowledged their orders and turned to her so that he could introduce them, “Toki, this is Kiyohiro and his twin brother, Munehiro. At twelve years old, they’re already two of the best ninja in Iga. If they can’t keep up with her, I don’t know who can.” I thanked him while Toki tilted her head and kept her eyes locked in on Kiyohiro’s. I noticed he couldn’t look away, even as she reached out and touched his face right beside his amethyst eyes, whispering, “Pretty.” I cleared my throat and squatted down to her level and had to grab her chin to make her look at me before saying, “Toki, I expect you to be on your best behavior for Kiyohiro and Munehiro. Lord Ieyasu is doing a very kind thing for us and you need to show your appreciation by making their work as easy as possible. Understand?” She nodded, “Okay, Papa. I understand.” I hugged her tightly and kissed her forehead before letting go of her and following Ieyasu inside. 

Kiyohiro  
My brother is pissed that we’re stuck babysitting a child who isn’t even five years old. I am mostly just curious about her. There’s something about her that draws me in and holds me there. I picked her up and asked if there was something specific she wanted to do and she took a deep breath before letting out an adorable yawn and said, “I’m tired. I wanna take a nap.” I clicked my tongue and nodded, then took her to the rooms Ieyasu had prepared for her and her father. When I tucked her into the bed, she pulled a book from her sleeve and asked if I’d read it to her so she could get to sleep. Munehiro sighed in annoyance and I shot him a warning look before opening the book and reading it to her. She fell asleep about four pages into the book and I silently slipped out of the room, only to see my brother giving me a signal that our other master, Kirigakuri Saizo, has come to speak to us. We met on the roof and he asked why Munehiro was in such a foul mood and I told him about our assignment. He shrugged it off and started telling us about a clan which had decided to dessert Iga and were now on the lam. He said to be ready for a job at any moment and, as we acknowledged his words, he looked behind us and suddenly crinkled his eyebrows. I asked him what was wrong and he asked, “Isn’t that the girl you’re supposed to be watching?” I turned around and felt the blood drain from my face as Toki climbed up the vines on the wall surrounding the castle. Saizo spoke in a disturbingly ominous tone, “I have a very bad feeling about this.” All at once, the three of us leapt off the roof and raced to the wall. She was almost to the top when her foot slipped and she fell. Thankfully I made it in time to catch her. I asked her why she was climbing the wall and she pointed at it and said, “I heard a man laughing about something and I wanted to find out what it was.” I crinkled my eyebrows and looked at the others for a moment before we simultaneously sighed, “Fuma.” The insane laughter reached our ears as a kunai flew past my shoulder. I adjusted Toki and drew my blade while Saizo and my brother moved together to block him from getting closer. Fuma Kotaro stood on the wall, laughing like a maniac as he gleefully said, “Oh what fun, oh what fun! I get to kill Kirigakuri Saizo, the Hattori twins, and Date Masamune’s little princess, all in one day!! Oh what fun, oh what fun!!” Saizo groaned in understandable annoyance. Kotaro has been trying to kill Saizo for years and has yet to land so much as a scratch on him. The obsessive ninja leapt down from the top of the wall as he threw his sickle and chain straight for her head. I tightened my grip around her and jumped up into the air to dodge the deadly swing and let loose a few shuriken. We stayed in the tree while Saizo and my brother fought the deranged man. I was so focused on him, I didn’t notice Sarurobi Sasuke until it was too late. I just barely managed to get her out of the way of his massive shuriken by shifting my body to cover her as I moved her out of the way. The sharp blade sank into my shoulder, right where her head had been just a moment ago. Had I not replaced her head with my back, she’d be dead. I gritted my teeth and threw my kunai at him, concealing in the throws the poisoned needles in which my clan specializes. He dodged the daggers but each needle made solid contact and embedded themselves into his skin. The needles are so thin and sharp, the victim almost never notices them until the neurotoxin has already entered their bloodstream. He’s as good as dead if he doesn’t get an antidote right away. Toki started tugging on my scarf and I turned just in time to see Kotaro’s kusari-gama flying at us again. My body reacted on instinct and I grabbed my scimitars and managed to deflect the sharp sickle. Unfortunately the sudden motion made me lose my grip on her and she fell from the tree and landed on her side. My brain stopped hearing sound and my vision closed in on her as I dropped down to cover her. The two attacking ninja approached me, each one looking to kill the toddler in my care. Sasuke fell to the ground, convulsing violently as the poison fried his brain. Kotaro started laughing at him and gave Saizo the opening to hit him with his stars. Kotaro’s attention returned to us and he got ready to jump but stopped when an arrow pierced his arm. He fell to his knees and we saw Masamune, Shigezane, Kojuro, Ieyasu, and my father standing in the doorway clear on the other side of the massive garden. Ieyasu’s right hand was still in the air behind the bowstring after having let fly his arrow. They don’t call him the Archer of Tokai for nothing. Angry and spitting insults like a spoiled child, Kotaro vanished, taking Sasuke with him, just before the samurai we serve arrived in front of us. Saizo was also gone. Masamune scooped his daughter up into his arms and hurried to her chambers so my father could tend to her injuries. My brother and I prostrated ourselves before her guardians and our master as they asked us what happened. My shoulder was bleeding and it felt like any kind of movement would make it fall off but I ignored the pain as we tried to recount the events. My father interrupted to say that her left leg and right arm are broken and her left shoulder was dislocated. He put casts on her leg and arm, then told Masamune to hold her and had her bite down on a towel while he set her shoulder back into its socket. Much to our surprise, she didn’t so much as whimper throughout the entire time. In fact, she didn’t make any sound until my father smacked me and asked, “How could you let this happen?!” I apologized again and again as he beat me for allowing our guest’s child to get hurt. He focused his rage on me because I have already been named the next head of the Hattori Clan and am therefore held to higher standards of behavior and skill.  
“STOP! Don’t punish him!” We gasped and turned to Toki as she cried, “It’s not his fault! I did it myself! Punish me! Kiyohiro saved my life! Several times! So did Munehiro! So please stop punishing them for what I caused!” I was stunned. No ward had ever been so adamant about making it clear that I was innocent. In fact, all of them refused to accept any responsibility for it whatsoever, many placing the blame on me for what they did. My father didn’t believe her and kept beating me until he was physically restrained by Shigezane. Masamune remained seated with his young daughter in his arms as he said one word, “Kojuro.” Bowing to acknowledge his unspoken order, Kojuro quietly explained, “Toki is a handful and it can be very difficult to keep track of her, no matter how attentive you are. She is also exceptionally honest and makes a point of taking responsibility for her actions, no matter how minor or severe the resulting punishments. If she says that your sons are innocent and that she caused the whole incident, then that is how it happened and there is no reason to punish Kiyohiro and Munehiro.” Masamune’s low voice sounded in the room as he repeated a single word, “Kojuro.” His highest ranking retainer nodded again and strode over to me, knelt down in front of me, and placed a heavy pouch of pearls and gold coins into my palm as he said, “In fact, we owe you our thanks. Had it not been for the two of you, our precious little girl would be dead.” My father strode out of the room in disgust and the others soon followed. Toki limped over to me as I held a towel to my still-bleeding shoulder and she picked up the bandages in the medicine chest my father had left behind. I watched her in amazement as she dabbed the blood from my lacerations and applied an antiseptic ointment before tightly wrapping the injured appendages. I watched her tend to my wounds with a skill almost on level with my father and noted, “You’re very good at this.” She shrugged it off, “I fall a lot because I’m not good at climbing.” I laughed, “I don’t know, you got pretty high on that wall. I don’t know anyone under the age of ten who could do that.” She bit her lip and apologized. I asked her why she was apologizing and she timidly replied, “I wasn’t trying to get you into trouble. I just wanted to know what that laughter was. I’m sorry you were punished for my bad behavior.” She took a fresh towel and scooped up a different ointment meant to bring down swelling and dabbed it on my fat, bleeding lip. I looked into her eyes as she tried to stay calm and treat my wounds. Is it just me or are her eyes glassy? I reached my hand out and lightly touched her cheekbone, just below her left eye, and dislodged the gathering tears. I asked her why she was crying and she looked up at me and said, “Because it’s all my fault you got hurt! You saved my life and got that cut, then you were beaten because of me! It’s all my fault! I’m so sorry, Kiyohiro!” Her genuine emotional pain at the thought of causing me to suffer was too much to take. Nobody ever cared about me as anything more than a pawn, a perfectly dispensable tool one uses to achieve one’s end goal. So, naturally, this was all new to me. I cupped her cheek and gave her a weak (probably rather frightening) smile and said, “It’s okay, Toki. I’ve had much worse than this. I’m just glad you’re okay. That’s what’s important.” She scrunched her face and shook her head defiantly, “NO! You’re important! I don’t want you to get hurt, Kiyohiro!” I couldn’t hide my shock at her insistence. I smiled wryly and asked, “Human life is really important to you, isn’t it?” She shook her head and said, “Your life is important to me. Papa’s life is important to me. Uncle Kojuro’s and Uncle Shigezane’s lives are important to me. I don’t really care about anyone else.” I tilted my head, “You barely know me. You do realize I spend my life killing people, right? That that’s all I know? I’ve already murdered dozens of people and I have no intentions of being anything other than a spy and assassin.” She nodded and said, “I don’t want you to change. I like you the way you are.” Without waiting for my response, she crawled into my lap, curled up against my chest, and nuzzled me until she was comfortable, then fell asleep. I was frozen in shock. My heart pounded wildly at this little girl who has so easily seen right through every wall I’ve spent my life building, saw the brutality of my world, and yet still accepts me for who I am.

Kojuro   
At dinner time, I went to get Toki and was met with a shocking sight. Masamune and Shigezane came to ask what was wrong and gasped when they looked into the room. Leaning against the wall, somehow cleaned up and bandaged, was a sleeping Kiyohiro with Toki curled up in his lap, sound asleep. The scene was so strangely adorable none of us had the heart to wake them, so we just quietly closed the door again and left them alone. Walking down the corridor, I couldn’t hold back my thoughts, “You heard that his nickname is the Incubus, right? Our little girl has won the heart of the Incubus, Hattori Kiyohiro Hanzo.” Masamune was silent as we entered the Main Hall and joined Ieyasu, Masanari, and Munehiro by the dais. Ieyasu casually asked about Toki and Masamune flatly answered, “She needs to rest. I asked Kiyohiro to keep watch over her while she sleeps.” His quick, though, not untrue cover for the young ninja shocked Shigezane and me but Ieyasu and the others didn’t seem to notice anything out of the ordinary except his choice of guardian. Masanari raised an eyebrow and asked, “Why him? Why not Munehiro or myself?” Masamune turned to him and said, “She trusts him and feels safe with him. As far as I’m concerned, that’s all I need.” Ieyasu groaned, “You people are so boring. So she likes having him take care of her, so what? That’s not the purpose of this visit!” I cleared my throat to hide my sigh of relief when everyone dropped the subject and started discussing the upcoming war.


End file.
